


Good Intentions

by VirtualNight



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Fantrolls, M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-11
Updated: 2013-04-30
Packaged: 2017-12-08 05:05:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/757373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirtualNight/pseuds/VirtualNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deacon convinces Persef to accompany him on a trip to a forest a good distance from their own. Persef is uneasy, knowing that they were at a severe disadvantage in this area, but his matesprit did not really care. The area had a strange feeling to it, almost eerie in the way it seemed to resonate. What neither of them know is that this forest is under the protection of two rather kind trolls who simply value their privacy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Into the Unknown

**Author's Note:**

> Another work I wrote a while back and plan to rewrite/edit at some point.

Persef trailed behind Deacon a bit, taking note of the differences in flora in the unusual forest. He wasn’t sure about this at all. The other troll had suggested a trip into unknown territory on a whim, and Persef had agreed without really thinking.

“Do you have any idea where we are headed?” Persef already knew the answer. Deacon was not at all the type to plan these things out; or any kinds of things, for that matter.  
  
“From what I heard this forest is crazy weird. There are supposed to be some fuckin’ huge cave systems around here.” He gestured largely as he spoke, seeming pretty excited about the idea.  
  
“What are we going to do in the caves? I mean, I guess they would be cool to explore and all…” Deacon started to talk immediately as his companion began babbling. 

  


“Well there have to be some strong beasts living in those caves, right? Maybe even some trolls!”

Persef allowed his hair to fall forward as he hung his head and sighed lightly. He had a feeling that this was the purpose of the impromptu excursion. What he wasn’t sure of was why Deacon had felt the need to include him in it. He was probably just going to get in the way if his matesprit decided to get into a fight with someone, or something.

They wandered through the thinning trees for a while longer before Persef insisted that Deacon take a moment to rest. They sat down on the edge of a small clearing, suited for setting up a camp if they needed to. The large leafy foliage surrounding them was perfect for blocking out sunlight if fashioned into the right shape. Persef pushed that from his mind for now, they still had plenty of time before they would need shelter. He shifted and took his satchel off his back, then set it on the ground between them. They shared some food that the more thoughtful troll had packed, but Deacon made sure to leave a larger portion of it for him. Deacon was still worried about his health, but it had improved noticeably since his return.

After they were both done eating, Deacon took the opportunity of their proximity and position to pull Persef into his lap. 

“I’m glad you remembered to bring food. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I saw it.” He laughed at his own absent-mindedness and Persef allowed a warm, albeit subdued, smile to light his face. These smiles were only for Deacon, though he would never actually say that out loud. He would feel silly and kind of weird; even if the other troll happened appreciate it. Persef was pulled out of his mind again by the gentle pressing of familiar lips on his temple. He blinked himself out of his haze, realizing that Deacon had been saying something but he had completely missed it. 

“You okay, ‘Sef?” the purple-blood inquired, resting his cheek against the other’s forehead. 

“Oh, yeah I just started thinking about something and got kind of lost in that. I’m sorry that I wasn’t listening. ” Persef let the words tumble from his mouth without much control and Deacon snorted quietly. 

“It wasn’t important. I was just talking at you really.” Persef relaxed a bit more in his partner’s arms at that. The purple-blood leaned back against the tree behind them, getting comfortable and closing his eyes. 

“Are you sure you wanted me to come along on this? I mean, you would probably have more fun if you didn’t have to worry about me.” When the other didn’t give much of an answer, he tried to stop worrying about it. After a while, Persef lifted his head from Deacon’s chest. He traced lightly over a few scars before framing the other’s face with his hands. He leaned upwards to place light kisses on each mark, then finally on Deacon’s eager lips. The teal-blood didn’t want to pull away, so he waited until he felt his matesprit’s mouth pull into a smile. 

“You just can’t get enough of me. I understand.” Deacon folded his arms behind his head in a playfully triumphant gesture. 

“I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around.” Persef murmured into his lover’s warm shirt. He inhaled subtly, relishing in the comforting scent.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, the taller troll stood up a bit suddenly, and put Persef on his feet. 

“Let’s get going, man. Those caves have to be super close now.” Persef nodded and pulled the satchel back on, then pushed his hair back to see that Deacon had already started walking. He rolled his eyes and followed as quickly as he could.


	2. A Scar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Persef and Deacon encounter an over-attentive lusus, and a new troll enters the scene.

It wasn’t long before they both started to sense a presence close by. Deacon looked back at Persef and signaled for him to stop. They stood still for a moment, listening closely and looking around for signs of this mysterious entity. Deacon was leaning toward where he had thought he heard movement, but the sound of Persef’s startled cry made him jump. He spun around to figure out what was wrong, but he couldn’t see anything distinctive. He stood there for a few seconds before he realized that there was no one behind him anymore.

“Persef?!” He called out into the scattered trees a bit frantically. A moment later he heard his companion’s voice from above him. 

“Up here!” Deacon looked in the direction of the response to see Persef’s form perched on a branch a bit too high up for him to climb down from. 

“How the shit did you get up there?” As he spoke, the tall troll tried to find a way to help the other to the ground. 

“Something grabbed me...I think. It happened pretty fast, I’m not sure.” There was a shifting in the thick leaves near him, and he looked over to see a giant bat lusus making its way toward him. 

“Uhh..Deacon..” He tried to scoot away, but there was not much room for him to move. The purple-blood was already on his way up before Persef could say anything more. There was no way he was going to let some ugly, winged beast hurt his matesprit. The lusus shrieked at Deacon as he got closer and wrapped its wings around the tiny troll. 

“The fuck? Let go of him you stupid animal!” He was about to take action when he heard Persef’s muffled voice tell him to wait. 

“What do you mean wait??” Persef mumbled a bit before speaking loudly enough for the other to hear. 

“I think she is trying to protect me from you or something. She’s not hurting me or anything.” 

“She?” Deacon hesitated a bit longer, quirking a brow. 

“Yeah…I kind of…know this lusus.” The creature folded her wings at her sides when Persef started to reassure her that Deacon wasn’t going to hurt him. 

“Can you tell me what’s going on? I don’t get it.” The purple-blood scratched at his scalp, attempting to piece things together, but it clearly wasn’t working.

“This is the lusus of a troll I met a while back. I didn’t recognize her until I saw that scar on the inside of her wing.” He pointed out a mark that started at the thumb of her right wing and disappeared into the folds of skin. 

“From what I experienced last time, she’ll try to take care of Tanore’s friends.” His lips quirked into a smile as he remembered the first time he had met the huge creature. He was terrified of her at first, but Tanore had assured him that she was very gentle.

“Tanore?” Deacon questioned. Persef looked away from the large beast.

“Oh, that’s her troll. Tanore is the one who made me that music box. I really liked it too. I think I still have it somewhere.” He paused a bit abruptly, and his voice was quieter when it returned.  
“I thought she usually didn’t go too far from Tanore, but…” He trailed off and looked at the ground below.

“Let’s get down from this tree before that thing makes you fall to your death.” Yeah, Deacon was definitely not happy with this situation.

The friendly lusus followed them down to the ground, but did not give Persef long before she started poking at him, chittering her complaints as she noticed how skinny he was and how little he had grown. She even started to groom her new charge by pushing his hair back with her snout and licking it to get it to stay in place. 

“Gross! Stop that!” Persef lightly batted at her nose and a few tremulous protests escaped her mouth before she actually pulled away. Persef fixed his hair a bit, grimacing at the saliva on his hands. He reluctantly wiped them on his sweater while the bat continued to fuss at him quietly from a bit further away.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Deacon stepped between the beast and his matesprit. 

“You’re not his lusus, he already has one. Get lost!” A large wing was invading his personal space before he could say more, and the bat had started to sniff him carefully. 

“You’re not gonna mess with my hair. Don’t you fuckin’ dare do it you stupid beast.” Persef spoke up, a bit upset by all of this unnecessary conflict.

“Deacon, it’s fine, really! She just hasn’t seen me in a long time, you know?” He nudged his hot-headed partner to the side so he could see the lusus again.

“Where’s Tanore?” He reached out to place his hand on the creature’s muzzle. She chirped and expanded her wings to their full length, wrapping them loosely around both trolls and pulling them closer. 

“What is it doing.” Deacon spoke through is teeth, stiffening at the contact. 

“I think she’s...hugging us?” Persef wasn’t really sure, but it seemed to be sort of display of affection. She let them go after a moment, and when the lusus started to sniff at Deacon again he growled out a warning. She gave a soft snort in response, as if to say ‘You’re quite the grumpy one.’

“Her obsession with grooming is a bit annoying, isn’t it?” an unfamiliar voice chimed in.


	3. Just a Misunderstanding

“Her obsession with grooming is a bit annoying, isn’t it?” an unfamiliar voice chimed in. 

Persef jumped a bit, Deacon positioning himself between the smaller troll and the source of the utterance. A tall troll stepped out from behind a tree, he wasn’t armed, but the purple-blood was on the defensive. The bat made its way toward the stranger and nuzzled his shoulder affectionately. He simply patted her head, then pushed her away gently. Persef peered out from behind his matesprit to get a better look. It was a sea-dweller, a violet-blood by the look of his symbol. Why was he in a forest? 

A glint caught his eye, drawing his gaze to the left side of the troll’s face. He had a prosthetic eye, which seemed to be a functioning one too if the dim glow was anything to go by. The metal around it extended a bit past where his eye socket would be, then seemed to fuse and blend into his skin. He looked to be a bit shorter than Deacon, but he certainly didn’t look like a pushover in terms of combat. He was terrifying, and the only thing that jerked him out of that paralyzing train of thought was the sound of Deacon’s demand for information. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Deacon bared his teeth as he spoke, making certain that this troll knew he wasn’t going to come any closer without things getting violent. He didn’t want to start a fight without knowing Persef could get away. He was fairly certain that if this troll didn’t try to stop him, that lusus would. A charming smile was the lead up to the sea-dweller’s response.

“My name is Ananke Taumas, and this is my custodian. Well…not my first one, but she takes care of me all the same.” He scratched under the bat’s chin a bit when he finished. Something about his answer made Persef especially uneasy. He didn’t think much on it before he pulled his shovel out and was trying to get past Deacon. 

“What did you do to her??” Ananke raised his eyebrow at that.

“Where is Tanore?” He had lost steam by the time he was halfway to the violet-blood, and was starting to regret his current position.

“Ohhh, you think I killed her. No no no, you have me all wrong.” He raised his hands in a defensive gesture and continued. 

“She is fine, and in our hive pretty close by. I just came out to bring our lusus back for lunch.” Persef lowered his shovel and studied the other troll for a moment. He sounded like he was telling the truth, but Deacon had warned him not to trust anything that came out of a sea-dweller’s mouth anymore. By the time the small troll had decided to believe him, Deacon was passing him, prepared for a fight.

A flash of metal in front of him cause him to stop dead, just as whatever it was landed with a heavy thud at his feet. The metallic rattle of chains reached his ears as the large weight was drawn back to its wielder, which was not the violet-blood. 

“Must you start a fight in our front yard, Ananke?” The new troll sounded to be female, her voice a light song in the air. Deacon turned his head toward the source of her voice just as she showed herself. The purple-blood squinted, trying to see it a bit more clearly. She was smaller than the seatroll, her weapon had sounded more intimidating than his silly gloves, but he could not make out what it was. Her hair was draped over her shoulders in two long braids, and she wore what seemed to be a dress, a violet symbol stitched into the shoulder. She put away her weapon just as Deacon had started to figure out how to fight them both.

“Let us be civil about this, shall we?” Her words were gentle, only causing Deacon more confusion. What was even going on here? These trolls were weird. He could feel Persef just behind him. All he heard was a soft gasp before his matesprit was moving toward the yet unnamed troll. “Persef-” Before he could start his question, Persef had answered it.


	4. Familiar Face

“Tanore!” He was relieved, excited, and kind of anxious all at the same time to see her. He hadn’t recognized her at first though, because her horns looked kind of different. And were also pierced, three times on each, he noticed as he got closer. He winced at the thought of doing such a thing. The slightly taller female regarded him with a mix of fondness and surprise. 

“Well, this is unexpected.” She smiled warmly when he got closer. 

“What brings you to this area?” 

The teal-blood shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he answered. 

“Well, Deacon wanted to come explore the area and…um…there were supposed to be caves and stuff...” He didn’t finish, not really wanting to admit his companion was just looking for a fight. He averted his gaze, but it landed on Ananke, who was looking directly at him. Why was he staring? Persef tried to find somewhere else to look, but ended up staring at the ground and feeling silly. Tanore did not bring any attention to it.

“Well, you are standing about 30 paces from my cave, if you would like to take a look around.” Persef looked back up at her, a bit surprised. He followed her finger in the direction it was pointing. Sure enough, he could see the entrance of a cave peeking through the trees not too far away. He and Deacon exchanged looks, both feeling a bit dumbfounded that they hadn’t noticed it earlier. After weighing the options in his head, Deacon looked at Persef. He seemed really excited to be able to catch up with his friend, so he felt awful denying him the chance.

“Why not.” Persef was surprised to hear this coming from Deacon. He sounded like he had given up on fighting, which was a relief. Ananke had already started toward the cave by the time it was decided, the bat lusus with him. 

“Alright then, right this way.” Tanore bid them both to follow, and they set off. As they got closer, the mouth of the cave revealed itself to be much larger than they thought. Persef held onto Deacon’s arm gently, hoping to prevent the taller troll from walking into anything that might be difficult to discern from the floors and walls. There were fantastic designs etched into the sides of the cave, and they were dotted with small, glowing stone formations. Persef looked around with interested eye, while Deacon followed his lead quietly. It was not until he pulled his attention from the new things around him that Persef realized his partner was sulking. He nudged the taller troll a bit. 

“What’s wrong? I thought you were okay with this.” 

Deacon grumbled a bit before speaking up.

“I just didn’t expect us to run into anyone you would be mad at me for fighting.” He ran a shaky hand through his hair. 

“This was supposed to be our day out together. Alone.” A huff ended his response.

Persef looked away, letting his shoulders sag a bit. 

“Oh…I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to mess it up.” He glanced forward at Tanore, but she didn’t appear to be listening as she led them deeper into the cave. Deacon stopped him for a moment, holding his shoulders gently. 

“No, don’t apologize, I didn’t mean it like that.” He brushed the long locks of hair out of his lover’s face gingerly.

“It’s not your fault or anything. I just wanted to spend time doing something fun with you.” Persef looked up at him, guilt still settled in his features. He tried to pull away, but Deacon held him still as he kissed his forehead sweetly. They both realized that Tanore had stopped, but did not turn around. Deacon took the others’ hand and led him toward the troll girl.  
“Sorry about that, Tanore…” She responded to Persef’s apology with a soft smile as she looked back over her shoulder. 

“Not a problem. I understand completely.” They all started to walk again, and it was not long before they entered a huge cavern. The walls were covered with the same designs and luminous stone as the passage they started in. Persef could see the glint of an underground water source on the opposite side of it, and the expansive hive they were approaching was built into the wall of the cavern’s right side. He was awestruck by the size of this place alone; all of the other incredible things he was taking in were just icing on the cake. When they reached the door of the hive, Tanore turned to face them.


	5. Everyone Knows He's Weird

When they reached the door of the hive, Tanore turned to face them.

“Ananke and I have plenty of food prepared. You would me most welcome to join us.” She turned back and opened the door, revealing an interior that rivaled even the most lavish of story book castles. The ceilings were more than accommodating to Deacons height, and the staircases to the left and right of the entrance hall confirmed their assumption that it had at least two levels, if not more. The walls were simple in design, but embellished by paintings and shadow boxes that featured various kinds of artifacts. 

Deacon was uninterested in the décor, so he just watched as Persef took it all in. He had pushed all of his hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ears; his wide, teal eyes attempting to see everything at once. The purple-blood decided to let Persef do his own thing for now and turned to Tanore.

“You’re not a sea dweller.” This was the first time he had gotten close enough to see that she did not have any gills or ear-fins. He pulled out his glasses carefully and put them on. Tanore’s once blurry form was now defined, and her pale jade eyes were now obvious. “How come your symbol is in his blood color?”

“Ananke made me this garment. He insisted on stitching my symbol in violet, and I did not mind.” 

The aforementioned troll could be heard from a room nearby. “You look lovely in violet! It brings out your eyes.” 

Deacon snorted. “He’s fuckin’ weird.” He didn’t bother to mumble it. He actually hoped the other had heard it. Fancy-fins was not even remotely close to making his list of trolls he wanted to be in the same room with. Well, maybe if beating the shit out of him didn’t bother Persef he could live with it. The jade-blood actually smiled a bit at his remark. 

“Trust me, I am aware.” She turned to enter what Deacon assumed to be the kitchen, so he followed. If he was going to be dragged into this, he might as well get some free food. Tanore’s lusus greeted him with a series of chirps and nuzzled his shoulder gently. He pushed her away, grumbling about how clingy she was. A table to his right was already set with food, so he didn’t hesitate to sit down and help himself. He wasn’t really prepared for how delicious it was; he wasn’t even aware that it was possible to cook so well. 

“Holy shit, who made this?” 

Tanore chuckled and sat down across from him at the table. “I did. Ananke helped a bit, but mostly got in the way.” Deacon didn’t look surprised in the slightest. “Figures. He seems pretty useless. Are you two like, together or somethin’?” He looked askance at her over his food. 

“If you mean in a romantic relationship, then yes. He is my matesprit.” She answered calmly, not really bothered by the invasiveness of the question. Deacon looked thoroughly disgusted at this point. “That must be fuckin’ awful. He is the worst excuse for a troll. Ever.” At that he resumed eating.

“That is a rather harsh judgment.” The calmness of her voice did not waver in face of the insult. She poured two glasses of some kind of drink and pushed one close to Deacon after placing an articulated straw in it. He was still a little suspicious of her. Why would she bother being so nice? She and her partner seemed pretty strange. They had to be up to something.


	6. Sweeter Than Sugar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter names have taken a strange turn. I apologize.

Persef had watched as Deacon went followed Tanore into the kitchen but he didn’t follow. He was not particularly hungry, and he was really interested in having a look around. She had said he could explore, right? He decided that it was best not to go in any rooms, so he just peeked in if a door happened to be open. The hive turned out to have a third level, which looked to be a library for the most part. Ancient and new books alike lined the shelves, all in an easy to follow system of organization. There was a decently sized section of books all about plants, their various uses, and how to take care of them. Persef took note of it, hoping he would have a chance to look through them later. He hadn’t known Tanore had much interest in plants. 

As he turned the corner around the last row of shelves, he found an area that had been turned into a sort of study. There was a large desk, an elegantly carved chair, and various other things he would expect to find in a study. What caught his eye though, were the beautiful flowers that had their own dedicated space off to the side. It was not until he got closer that he realized it was the same plant he had given Tanore all those sweeps ago. It was much larger now, and many more blooms had pushed up from the soil in the time since he last saw it. He smiled, a bit surprised that she had worked to keep it alive for so long. He made sure to water it before leaving the third level.

It was not long before Persef found himself outside of the hive, taking in all the details the cavern had to offer. He wandered toward the underground lake. He had never seen anything like it before, and he wondered if there was any kind of passage underneath it. When he got close, he hesitated, not sure if he wanted to risk falling in somehow. Pushing the thought from the back of his mind, he knelt down at the edge of the water. The still surface reflected his image, showing him the things he usually avoided thinking or talking about. He really hated how bad Deacon felt for leaving. It wasn’t his fault after all. Persef shook his head, thick locks of hair falling forward to skim the surface of the lake.

The water started to ripple slightly, and Persef could see a dark mass moving slowly beneath the surface. He started and pulled back. What on Alternia is that? The teal-blood stared, frozen in place, waiting for what might come next. Whatever it was looked larger and larger by the second, and Persef realized that it wasn’t growing, it was getting closer. He stood and began to back away, but when the creature surfaced he tripped over the uneven floor of the cavern and fell backward. The giant dark shape turned out to be an even bigger lusus. It seemed to be some kind of strange hybrid of a squid and a moth. This lusus did not look friendly at all. Persef broke himself out of his state of shock and tried to move away, but his fear was making it difficult just to stand up again. The squid-moth raised a tentacle and started to bring it down on the small troll, but before it could get close enough, strong arms scooped Persef up from his place on the floor and he was carried away quickly. He pressed into the other troll, shaking noticeably from the adrenaline in his system. He glanced at the lusus to discover that it had not followed them. 

“Wow, I could have been a goner there. That lusus is really not happy that I was in its space. I’m lucky that you came along when you did. Thanks, De-” Persef stopped suddenly as he looked up at the other’s face.

“Oh. You’re not Deacon at all.” A wide-eyed stare was met with the violet-blood’s charming smile.

“I apologize for my lusus’ behavior. It takes a while for him to warm up to new trolls. Try not to take it too personally, hm?” Ananke’s voice was soft, and he gave Persef’s shoulders a gentle squeeze before setting him on his feet. 

“Um, I’m sorry. Thank you for that though. I didn’t know he was there, or else I would have left him alone. I’m sorry..” He dared to look at Ananke’s face after he finished, not sure what to expect. The sea-troll lowered himself to Persef’s eye level as he started to speak again. 

“There is no need for you to apologize. I am the one at fault, because I did not warn you about him. Can you forgive me?” He looked genuinely concerned and regretful that it had happened, a slight frown winning over his typical grin. The teal-blood gave a slight nod, but he had not been prepared for those words. He noticed that Ananke had covered his prosthetic eye, only a small portion of the metal was visible around the patch. He stared for a bit too long, so the other spoke up. 

“It frightened you, when we first met, right? I thought I might try to make myself a little more approachable, considering you and Nore are old friends.” Persef shrank back behind his hair. 

“You didn’t have to do that…I was a little scared, but you don’t have to cover it up for my sake.” The light of the glowing stones met his eyes again as the dark curtain was pushed aside delicately. Ananke then tucked the hair behind Persef’s ear, his smile had returned. 

“That is very brave of you, but you needn’t face something if you are not ready.” Persef could not help the timid smile that crept its way into his expression as Ananke tilted his chin up a bit. 

“There we are, a smile. That is a lovely thing to see.”


End file.
